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Co-captain TJ Perenara will be absent for the Hurricanes’ campaign in 2021 when he assumes a contract in Japan.
It’s official: TJ Perenara is trading one Hurricanes team for another, in Japan, but insists it’s not the end of his time playing rugby in New Zealand.
At 28, the Hurricanes running back and co-captain is heading to Japan at the end of the year, following his All Blacks teammate Beauden Barrett on a big money deal, and will miss the entire Super campaign. Next year’s rugby in a significant loss for his home team which he played for the first time in 2012.
New Zealand Rugby and the Hurricanes confirmed Perenara’s departure on Monday, for a one-year sabbatical with Osaka-based NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes in early 2021. Details of the impending deal were first revealed by Stuff on 7 October.
HURRICANES
The All Blacks and Hurricanes running back will miss Super Rugby 2021 to play in Japan.
Perenara is likely to return for tryouts for next year’s All Blacks and Hurricanes at Super Rugby 2022, although nothing has yet been signed after 2021, and NZR said it would begin contract negotiations with Perenara management. ” in due time, “regarding his return.
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“It doesn’t mean it’s the end for me (here in New Zealand),” Perenara said in a video thanking Hurricanes fans for their support. “I am looking forward to an exciting challenge in Japan … with a new group of players, a new group of coaches and I am really excited about that adventure for me and my family.”
Perenara will travel to Australia with the All Blacks this week and then head to Japan at the end of the Rugby Championship.
Hannah Peters / Getty Images
TJ Perenara made an impact for the All Blacks in their win over the Wallabies in Auckland.
The Japan Top League, interrupted by Covid-19 in 2020, is scheduled to begin its new season on January 16 and will run until May.
Hurricanes coach Jason Holland said that while Perenara would be missed, it was with his blessing.
“TJ has been the heart and soul of this team for many years, yet I am sure he has not played his last game in the Hurricanes jersey,” Holland said in a statement.
It means Jamie Booth will likely don the No. 9 Hurricanes jersey next year after an impressive season off the bench, while Counties-Manukau’s Johnathan Taumateine is the next running back in line.
NZR Professional Rugby General Manager Chris Lendrum said: “TJ has been a long-time and loyal player for New Zealand rugby for a decade, so he has the opportunity to take a break from playing here to have The experience of playing in Japan is positive for him and his family. We wish him and his wife Greer all the best and will welcome him when he returns. ”
Hannah Peters / Getty Images
Hurricanes and All Blacks TJ Perenara, Peter Umaga-Jensen and Ardie Savea before Sunday’s Bledisloe Cup test at Eden Park.
Perenara and his wife Greer welcomed their first daughter, Amaia, into the world in August.
Barrett, another new father in recent weeks, will miss Super Rugby with the Blues and then return to the All Blacks next year as part of his contract until the 2023 World Cup. He signed in July with Suntory Sungoliath, based in Tokyo, for a sum of seven figures.
Japan remains a popular destination for front-line All Blacks to cash in, with Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock others to accept short-term deals within their NZR contracts. It is understood that player salaries in Japan, with its strong corporate backing for clubs, have not suffered as significant a drop as in Europe. NZR has had to be flexible with its system and introduce sabbaticals to avoid losing its stars on the high seas forever.
The Red Hurricanes are coached by South African Johan Ackermann, a recent addition to English club Gloucester, and this year they had New Zealanders Liam Squire, Marty Banks and Tom Marshall in their books.
Perenarara’s departure is certainly a blow to the Hurricanes who finished third at Super Rugby Aotearoa after a five-game winning streak, including victory over the champion Crusaders. He co-led the team with Dane Coles, and played full minutes, moving into the first five eighths when Booth hit the field in the fourth quarter.
Perenara made his debut for the Hurricanes against the Stormers in Cape Town in 2012 and the team won its only title four years later. He quickly became one of their key leaders, and last year, he beat Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith’s joint record of 126 appearances with the Hurricanes.
